The Waukesha County district attorney said he was limited by state law in the penalties he could issue to the Wetzel family.

The Wetzels were facing 26 citations for providing alcohol at a drinking party at their home in July, according to the district attorney.

All but six citations were dropped Monday.

Kody Koepke, Timothy Peters and Ian Glidden died in a car crash on their way home from the Wetzel's house in Delafield, police said.

Koepke was the driver. His blood-alcohol level was nearly twice legal limit, according the district attorney.

"Citations were the only option in this case. Criminal charges are not possible if the individual is over 18 who is provided alcohol and then later dies," Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel said.

Scott and Charlene Wetzel and their son, Jason, were expected to pay a little more than $2,700 in fines in the case.

Schimel said the family is facing financial hardship and their home is in foreclosure.

Schimel said the family has been upfront all along with authorities about what happened at their home.

"The mom admitted she had purchased a 30-pack of beer for the kids that were there. The son admitted he hosted the party. The father admitted that he went downstairs and would have seen that it was going on, so in a sense they accepted responsibility, in a way," Schimel said.

The attorney for the Wetzel family, Anthony Cotton, said they grieve every day for the loss of their son's friends.

"You have people who died. It's a terrible thing the family feels terrible about. Every conversation I've had with everybody in the family has centered around how bad they feel. They're just devastated by it," Cotton said.

Cotton said Jason Wetzel is back in school, but the family is devastated over the deaths of their son's three friends.